Helena Neaira, daughter of Helena of Sparta and Troia, had been taken from Troia by Aineias as war booty. It turned out she was left in Eryx, Trinakria, to be appointed as priestess (which means temple whore) for the temple that was to be built for Aineias mother Aphrodite. When she sees in a vision during her initiation that her protector Palinouros on his way back to her must pay for his return with death, she manages to escape her attackers. By divine intervention she is brought to the Helikon.
There she decides - and we follow in her footsteps - to seek for Palinouros’ dead body and his shadow in the Underworld.
She wanders to Kumai, the site where Palinouros started his retreat and where, in vain, she asks the Sibyl for help. Then to Velia, the site to which Palinouros’ dead body was brought by dolphins and where he had been buried. Finally she arrives at Skylla, the site where her hero was killed.
In the sea cave she finds the petrified fruit of Skylla’s lustful overpowering of Palinouros. Helena Neaira has only one wish: to die so her shadow can descent to the Underworld and join that of Palinouros.
The play is preceded and interrupted by recitatives with curses of Dido.
